Clothes-line



NQmaeL J. S. WAILES.

CLOTHES LINE.

No. 330,646. Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

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' NITED STATES JOSIAH S. WAILES, OF FLORENCE, KANSAS.

CLOTH ES-LINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,646, dated November 17, 1885.

. Application filed July 12, 1884. Serial No. 137,535. (No model.) T

To all whom, it mayconccrn:

Beit known that I, JOSIAH SAMUEL WAILES, of Florence, in the county of Marion and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Clothes-Line Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part thereof.

This invention relates to holders for movable endless clothes-lines and the novelty consists of the subject-matter hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, and Figs. 2, 3, and4 are detail views. Fig. 5 isa modification, and Fig. 6 is a plan view.

A indicates the clothes-line, which may be either cord or wire, and B G are two posts, each having two pulleys, D E, located one above the other at a short distance apart. The clothes-line is passed around the four pulleys and its ends are hooked together at F. For tightening the line on the pulleys I employ a pulley, G, supported in an arm, H, which is pivoted at its lower end to the post 0 in the usual manner. This pulley G is placed in engagement with the line between the pulleys D E on said post, and is then forced outward by a weight, I, attached to the upper end of arm H. A pawl, J, on the arm, engages a rack-bar, K, on the post 0, and holds the arm against pressure on the line. The arm is connected to the post by a spiral spring, L, which limits the movement of the arm. To support the line from sagging at the center, I provide a third post, M, which is set to one side, out of line with the posts B 0, and has an arm, 0, supporting a pulley, N, in line with posts B O, for supporting the upper strand of the line. The lower strand of the line is supported by a carriage consisting of two pendent bars, P Q, supported on the upper strand by pulleys R, and connected to gether by a cord or wire, S, which passes over a pulley, T, on the arm 0 of the middle post, M. The lower end of the bar Q is provided with a pulley, U, on which the lower strand of the line rests, and the lower end of the bar 1? is provided with a hook, V, into engagement with which the lower strand may be placed at will. One of the pulleys, E, around which the line is completely passed,

clothes are then hung on the lower strand of '60 the line and are carried out from the operator by the proper turning of crank X. \Vhen the line is thus filled to the bar Q of the carriage, the bar P is then released from the cord B and hooked under the lower strand of the line, and as more clothes are hung on and the crank is turned, the said carriage will travel with the clothes out from the operator until bar Q, arrives at post 0. By this movement the line is filled with clothes and the bar P is brought near the middle of the line, where support is needed. To take in the clothes, the above movements are simply reversed.

O is the box containing the spool on which the line is to be wound when it is to be taken in out of the weather. To facilitate the operation of running theline in and out, I provide a threader line or cord,.D, of the same length as the line, and having a hook and loop at opposite ends. One end of this threader is to be attached to a spool, E, supported between the box 0 and post B, and then wound thereon by a crank, as shown. The clothes-line is then to be moved until the connection F is about over thebox O. The tension on the line is then to be slackened,and its ends are to be unhooked at F. The end next to the middle post is then to be hooked to the spool in box 0, and the other end is to be hooked to the end of the threader on spool E". The crank of the spool in box 0 is then to be turned, winding in the clothesline, and running out the threader in its place on the pulleys D E. When the line is thus wound in,it is to be unhooked from the threader, and the threader, likewise, is to be unhooked from the spool E, and its ends are to be hooked together in the manner of the line. To run out the line again, the said operation is to be reversed by connecting the threader to the line and winding it in on the spool E.

Fig. 4 shows the manner of attaching the pulleys D E to a tree or the side of a house,

instead of a post, when desired. The pulleys are supported in mortises in a board, F, which is provided with blocks G at the ends, for attaching it to its support and for holding the pulleys out of contact with said support.

The post Bis braced by a brace, H, and is provided with a box, I, for holding clothespins, and a shelf, J, for holding the clothes as they are being hung out on the line. The posts M are provided with wire guys K L, which are pinned to the ground, the former being made of two strands twisted together about half their extent and parted the remaining extent, to provide space for the working of the arm H. Fig. shows a modification of the carriage, in which the bar 1? is provided with a pivoted arm, 1), and a spring-catch, q. The hook o is attached to a strap, r, having a ring, 8, which is placed on arm 19. This arrangement allows the hook V to be detached from the bar when desired. The catch (1 is connected to the bar above its pivot by a leather strap, t, which is held taut by the spring of the catch. With this construction, by placing an arm or projection on the middle post, M, in position for the strap t to strike against it when the carriage is moved to said post, the catch q will be lifted and the ring 8 and hook V detached from bar P, so that the carriage shall notinterfere with the forward movement of the line after the carriage reaches the middle post.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of the following parts: the endless clothes-line, two sets of pulleys for supporting the same at the ends, a post or support having a laterally-projecting arm carrying a pulley and placed intermediately of but out of line with said sets of (end) pulleys, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the endless clothesline and intermediate post for supporting the same, of a carriage for supporting the lower strand of the line, consisting of two pendent bars supported by pulleys on the upper strand, and having a hook for engaging the lower strand, and a wire or cord for connecting said bars together at their upper ends, and a pulley for said cord or wire, which is supported on said intermediate post, and acord for holding said carriage in any desired position on the line, substantially as shown and described.

JOSIAH S. WAILES. 

